Pochettino mulls tunnel re-think after derby brawl

Tottenham Hotspur’s Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League Group H football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Apoel Nicosia at Wembley Stadium in London, on December 6, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Glyn KIRK

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has joked the see-through tunnel at his club’s new stadium might need to be covered up following the fracas that marred Sunday’s Manchester derby.

England’s Football Association is investigating reports of a mass brawl that erupted in a corridor leading away from the Old Trafford tunnel following Manchester City’s 2-1 win at Manchester United.

Spurs’ new stadium in north London, due to open next season, will have a transparent tunnel wall allowing fans to watch the players before and after games, similar to the ‘Tunnel Club’ at City’s Etihad Stadium.

“The tunnel is with glass, big glass, like the bank glass, very safe,” a smiling Pochettino told a press conference on Tuesday ahead of his side’s home game with Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday.

“But now, yes, City and Tottenham, both maybe (have to) paint it black. Or at half-time, curtains — before the game, open, half-time, closed.